By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-09-29 15:27:56 | Updated at 2026-09-29 19:31:34
5 hours ago
The Lionesses have qualified for each of the last five FIFA World Cups. Can Sarina Wiegman’s latest squad take England one step closer to extending that streak? We examine the key talking points from their squad announcement ahead of the play-off games vs Greece.
Sarina Wiegman has named her 23-player squad for England’s upcoming World Cup qualifying play-offs against Greece, and there is already plenty to discuss.
From the omissions of Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly, to the inclusion of both emerging talents and experienced campaigners, there’s no shortage of debate surrounding the Lionesses squad. Yet perhaps the biggest question facing England ahead of these crucial fixtures concerns their attack.
Despite winning Euro 2025, England did not have a dominant goalscorer. Georgia Stanway, Alessia Russo, Toone, Lauren James and Michelle Agyemang all finished as the Lionesses’ joint-top scorers at the tournament with two goals apiece. Since then, few of England’s attacking stars have started the 2026-27 season in prolific form. That leaves questions over where the goals will come from.
That places an even greater burden on Russo.
While the Arsenal forward has yet to hit top form domestically this season, she remains one of Wiegman’s most trusted players and a key figure in England’s attack. With qualification for the 2027 World Cup at stake, the Lionesses will be hoping international duty can help reignite the goalscoring touch that has made Russo so decisive in an England shirt.
Here are four major talking points arising from Sarina Wiegman’s selections ahead of England’s two-legged Round One World Cup qualifying play-off against Greece.
No Room for Kelly or Toone
The exclusion of Kelly and Toone from the England squad for these crucial World Cup qualifiers is a surprise, but can hardly be considered a curveball by Wiegman.
Both have played pivotal roles in the Lionesses’ recent success. The pair famously scored in England’s Euro 2022 final victory over Germany, while also helping the team reach the 2023 World Cup final and successfully defend their European crown last summer.
Yet their past achievements can only carry them so far, and there is little statistical basis to argue against their omissions based on recent form.
Wiegman herself alluded to that after naming her squad, explaining: “the main reason is that I think the levels weren’t what I expect from them on the pitch. There is big competition going on and that is basically what it is.”
Toone has started three of Manchester United’s four WSL matches this season, though she was absent for arguably their most impressive result, a 3-0 win away to Arsenal on MD3.
More broadly, the 27-year-old has managed just one goal involvement across her last 10 WSL appearances, her lowest return across a 10-game spell since late 2024. In fact, her most recent goal involvement in the competition came against Tottenham in December 2025.
Her underlying numbers aren’t much better across this timeframe, either. She’s averaged 0.22 non-penalty xG and xA combined per 90 over her last 10 WSL appearances, her second lowest 10-game average since signing for Man Utd, behind only a 10-game spell between April and November 2024.
Kelly’s omission is perhaps less surprising given her lack of minutes at Arsenal. Since the start of the 2025-26 campaign, she has featured in 20 WSL matches but accumulated only 594 minutes.
During that period, 200 players have played more league minutes than the England winger.
That lack of club football has inevitably impacted her international opportunities, too. Kelly has played just 80 minutes across England’s six matches in 2026, with all four appearances coming from the bench.
England are unlikely to be the same side without two players who have been such familiar figures under Wiegman. Since the start of 2020, the Lionesses have played only three matches in which neither Kelly nor Toone featured. Encouragingly for England, they won all three, defeating Iceland, Ukraine and Italy by an aggregate score of 9-2.
Their absence may feel unusual, but history suggests the Lionesses have more than enough depth to cope.
Can Russo Find Her Form?
If England’s biggest concern heading into these World Cup qualifiers is where the goals will come from, then the spotlight will inevitably fall on Russo.
Despite a slow start to the 2026-27 WSL season, Russo remains one of Wiegman’s most trusted players and arguably the only recognised centre-forward in the squad with a proven track record of delivering on the biggest international stage.
No outfield player has played more minutes for the Lionesses in 2026 than Russo (523), while only Stanway (4) has scored more goals than her three. She has also created 12 chances, a total bettered only by Lauren Hemp (13).
The underlying numbers suggest opportunities are still coming her way, too. Russo leads all England players for touches in the opposition box (66), shots (27) and shots on target (13) in 2026, highlighting her continued ability to get into dangerous positions even when the goals are not flowing.
There are alternative options up top, however.
Chelsea star James has shown her goalscoring quality once again this season, while London City Lionesses forward Freya Godfrey has earned another senior call-up after an impressive start to the season.
Godfrey’s versatility will appeal to Wiegman, with 42% of her league minutes this season coming as a striker, 44% on the right flank and 13% on the left. However, she is still searching for her first WSL goal of the campaign, making Russo the clear frontrunner to lead England’s attack against Greece.
Though Russo has yet to score in Arsenal’s opening four league matches, only the second time in her career that she has gone through the first four games of a season without finding the net, there is reason for optimism. The only previous occasion came at the start of the 2024-25 campaign, when she rebounded to finish as the WSL’s joint Golden Boot winner alongside Khadija Shaw.
Part of the issue appears to be a mix of opportunity and execution. Russo is averaging 3.1 shots per game in the WSL this season, which is lower than any of her previous six campaigns in the English top flight. Her average xG per shot of 0.18, however, is higher than it’s been in any of the previous five seasons. She’s getting chances, but just not able to find the back of the net – a wider trend for Arsenal in the competition this season.
For England, however, the picture has typically been very different.
Wiegman will hope a return to international football can provide the platform Russo needs to rediscover her goalscoring touch.
Experience Over Potential
One of the more notable themes of Wiegman’s squad selection is her preference for proven international performers over players still building their credentials at senior level.
Beth Mead‘s inclusion is perhaps the clearest example.
The former Arsenal winger scored England’s most recent international goal against Ukraine and remains one of the most experienced attacking players available. Her club minutes have been limited at Manchester City this season, with just two starts and 223 WSL minutes, but her creative output remains.
Only Hemp (9) has attempted more chance-ending carries than Mead (2) among City’s players this season, while only Yui Hasegawa (79) has attempted more passes ending in the final third than Mead (78).
More importantly, Mead’s England pedigree is difficult to overlook.
No Lionesses player has recorded more assists than her 30, while only Ellen White (41) has scored more goals for England than Mead’s 40.
That experience and recent form explain why Wiegman has overlooked Aggie Beever-Jones.
The Chelsea forward has found opportunities hard to come by for both club and country recently, playing just 17 minutes for England in 2026 and accumulating only 100 WSL minutes this season.
Beever-Jones’ recent output has been limited. She has registered just one goal involvement across her last 15 WSL appearances and has not scored a league goal since netting in each of Chelsea’s opening four fixtures last season.
Despite averaging 7.2 shots per 90 in limited game time, second only to Lauren James among Chelsea players, only two of her eight attempts this season have found the target. Of players to attempt more than 2+ shots for Chelsea this season, only Sjoeke Nusken has a lower shooting accuracy (18.2% – 2/11) than Jones (25%).
Jess Park‘s inclusion sits somewhere between those two extremes.
After a breakthrough 2025-26 campaign in which she finished as Man Utd’s joint-top scorer with six goals, the 24-year-old is still searching for her first goal involvement of the new season.
However, her numbers suggest she continues to influence games. Only Alejandre Bernabé (11) has completed more dribbles than Park (10) in the WSL this term, while she leads all United players for passes ending in the final third (45).
Park has also become an increasingly trusted option for England, featuring in four of the Lionesses’ six matches in 2026 and scoring twice.
Who Are the Fresher Faces?
While much of the discussion around Wiegman’s squad has centred on notable omissions, her latest squad also offers opportunities for several players looking to establish themselves at senior international level.
Lexi Potter is perhaps the headline inclusion.
The Chelsea midfielder has received her first senior call-up after making an impressive start to the season under Sonia Bompastor. Still only 20 years old, Potter has started three of Chelsea’s opening four WSL matches and already looks comfortable operating alongside some of the league’s biggest names.
Wiegman has previously spoken about Potter’s “telepathic” understanding with Keira Walsh at club level, and England supporters will be eager to see whether that partnership can translate to the senior stage. The data suggests Potter is ready for the step up.
Her 93.2% passing accuracy ranks fourth among Chelsea players in the WSL this season, while only Alyssa Thompson and Lauren James have completed more dribbles for the Blues. Potter’s 80% dribble success rate, together with her tidy passing, is a mark of a player who combines security in possession with the ability to progress the ball through midfield.
Another youngster returning to the fold is 18-year-old Erica Parkinson, who joined North Carolina Courage in July and has quickly adapted to life in the NWSL.
Despite her age, the midfielder has already established herself as one of the league’s most effective ball-winners, ranking fourth among players with 1,000+ minutes for tackles per 90 (3.4).
She also sits among the NWSL’s top 10 players for possession won in the middle third (3.7 per 90), underlining the defensive intensity she could bring to England’s midfield options.
There is also a return for Liverpool captain Grace Fisk, who has been central to her side’s encouraging start to the WSL season.
No Liverpool player can better Fisk’s 93.5% passing accuracy so far this campaign, while only Fuka Nagano and Cornelia Kapocs have completed more passes into the final third.
Already matching her goal tally from across the previous four league seasons combined with two goals on the opening weekend, Fisk’s all-round influence has made her impossible for Wiegman to ignore.
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